Director Report Card: David Lynch (2014)

15. Duran Duran: Unstaged

The 2000s were a frustrating time to be a David Lynch fan. After the 2006 release of “Inland Empire,” the director would continue to create new content for his website. Yet the semi-steady flow of bizarre short films, weird animations, and the occasional oddball piece of music did little to satisfy fans hungry for another feature film. The director's insistence on doing whatever the hell he wanted would continue with what is technically his most recent feature length credit. And it's a Duran Duran concert film. So why did America's premier cult director decide to make a movie with a washed-up eighties new wave band? This is yet another mystery I will attempt to answer.

“Duran Duran: Unstaged” was part of a series of concert films, sponsored by American Express and VEVO. The series would pair popular musical acts with some of cinema's most respected directors, in hopes of creating unique audio/visual experiences. (The other unexpected combinations included Werner Herzog and the Killers and Spike Lee and John Legend.) The finished concerts were then broadcast over Youtube. Specifically, “Duran Duran: Unstaged” captures a March, 2011 concert from L.A.'s Mayan Theater. During the live broadcast of the concert, Lynch would overlay a number of images and pre-filmed segments.

Generally speaking, eighties new wave music is something I enjoy immensely. My car radio is usually tuned to SiriusXM's 1st Wave station. However, I'm not especially familiar with the work of Duran Duran. I've heard all the big hits, enjoyed them reasonably enough, but have never felt the need to explore more. I guess I probably should someday? So I do not have the deepest appreciation for “Duran Duran: Unstaged.” I will say the band still sounds pretty good. The vocals are still sharp and distinctive. The band is energetic. The crowd seems into it. “Unstaged” was partially done to promote the band's then most recent album, “All You Need is Now.” While I doubt any of the new songs will stick with me as much of the well-known numbers – many of which are also performed – I don't think any of them are bad either.

So I come to “Duran Duran: Unstaged,” not really as a Duran Duran fan, but primarily as a David Lynch fan. The show begins with an amusingly off-beat introduction from the director, shot in a static-filled fashion. You can certainly see the director putting his particular stamp on the concert throughout. Among the many images that appear over the band are strange sculptures on tall poles, obvious examples of Lynch's weird visual art. (The one that looks like a warped human face is my favorite.) One song is accompanied by images of a solitary house on a gray field, people standing around inside it as if they are driving invisible cars.

My favorite Lynchian touch is probably during the encore performance of “Come Undone.” That song is used to scored images of a spatula slamming down on a grill lined with hot dogs and animal hand puppets singing along. Because even something as simple as a concert film sees Lynch subverting traditional images of Americana in perverse ways. In fact, you can see a few of the director's trademarks peeking out throughout this film. Igniting fire and shifting smoke, always reoccurring images in Lynch's filmography, put in appearances here too. As do occasional bouts of industrial noise or expressionistic moments of smokestack-like structures burning in a desolate field.

Yet, sometimes, Lynch's visual accompaniment is shockingly literal. As Simon Le Bon sings about a picture on a wall, Lynch shows us... A picture on a wall. Later, Le Bon sings about a plane crashing and Lynch pairs that with a toy airplane shooting sparks. A song with the word “Machine” in the title is paired with the word machine spelled out in metallic letters. “Hungry Like the Wolf” features jittery shot of wolves' heads. “(Reach Up for the) Sunrise” involves topless Barbie dolls reaching up for a big cartoon sun. “Planet Earth” has an image of our planet appearing on-screen. Take a guess what shows up during “Girls on Film.” I have no idea if Lynch is a fan of Duran Duran. One assumes he must be, if he took on this project. Yet several of the moments here suggest the songs did not particularly inspire him.

Despite the unique gifts David Lynch brings to the medium, “Duran Duran: Unstaged” is still just a concert film. There's only so much room for experimentation within that format. Yes, Lynch tries his best to mix it up. The sometimes shaky, often hand-held shots of the band is interesting. The constant overlay of extra images certainly provides another element to the concert. Ultimately, this is still a film devoted to the band singing. So we get all the expected moments: Corny, on-stage banter, shots of the adoring audience, close-ups on keyboards and guitars. The expected encore. There's only so much you can say about this stuff, from a cinematic perspective.

While it may mostly look like a regular Duran Duran concert to me, clearly the band was hoping to make “Unstaged” as much of an event as possible. And not just because of the big name behind the camera and the oddball visuals. A number of notable guest vocalists are brought out to perform on the song. Gerard Way – back when he was just the lead singer of a goofy emo band, instead of a semi-respected solo artist/comic creator – joins the band for an energetic performance of “Planet Earth,” almost outclassing Simon Le Bon in the vocals department. Beth Ditto, from the band Gossip, duets on “Notorious,” her big and brassy singing being a good fit for that song. Kelis sings on a number called “The Man Who Stole a Leopard,” a cut from the then-latest album, and certainly adds something to an otherwise not especially memorable song. (Kelis returns for the encore as well.)

If I was a bigger Duran Duran fan, I would probably have a lot more to say about “Unstaged.” Standing now as a merely the most casual of casual listeners to the group, the concert film is fine enough to watch and listen to. I feel, at nearly two hours, it goes on a little long but I doubt the people in the audience complained about that. As a David Lynch project, “Duran Duran: Unstaged” is a bit disappointing. You would expect American cinema's most prominent surrealist to really go off, when given a chance to just pair music with whatever weird images he could think of. Instead, he has trouble escaping the confines of the concert film genre. Lynch didn't even stick around for the curtain call. (La Bon suggests he's disappeared to another dimension, har har.) Ultimately, shots of mysterious gloves holding forks or nails being hammered into wood only go so far to make this interesting to non-fans of the band. [Grade: B-]